Morris tribune., 1887-07-06
SONORA'S LOST MINES.
Ex-Cadet F1ipper's NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Through the Old Workings.


Through the Old Workings.
Capt. Allen Mcintyre, who runs the
Lake Superior company's steamer Peer
less between Chicago and Duluth, has
just returned from a winters sojourn in
Sonora, old Mexico, where he has been
for health and pleasure. AS to the re-
ported mineral discoveries, Capt. Mc1n-
tyre does not pretend to be an authority
in such matters. He brought home sew
eral specimens of the ore from Taoja
groups, portion of the so called lost
mines, but to the eye of experience in
such matters the ore does not threaten a
bonanza. The ore is free milling, but the
highest assay claimed for it is $50 ton,
and this is carried in O. vein not much
over three or four feet wide. 1t is said,
however, that much richer ore is being
worked in a feeble way by the Mexicans in
other parts of the Taoja group. "What
interested me most" sad Capt. Mcintyre
twas the dreadfully rough country we
had to traverse to get to this terra incog-
nita. The region lies about 100 miles in
an air line southeast of Torres, a station
on the Guaymas branch of the Atchison
and Topeka road. The country is a de-
Gghtful one until you strike the foothills
of the Sierra Madre range, and then it be-
comes grandly wild. Our party clam
bered for miles and miles where even the
mules could hardly get footing.n
''Were the stories Of Flipper's finding
some records in an old ruined mission cor
rect?'
mot exactly. Flipper did make the
acquaintance, however, of an American
there who had married the niece of a
70, Ill
more ago, and this American had large
library, containing some works over 200
years old. Flipper knows Spanish thor
oughly, and he went through some Of
these old books and manuscripts. 1t is
by that means he got an inkling of where
to look for the abandoned mining regions
Kruse went after one and NJ. J. Power, a
miner in Mexico, and myself went for the
other. The story published of ruins of
villages, arastras, and other remains of
an abandoned industry are correct. It
was mighty interesting to me to go
through these old workings. / believe
within a radius of mile could have
counted over 100 openings to these lodges.
So far as we could determine, there are
three lodges converging toward a center.
I have no doubt that further develop
ment by modern mining methods will
show that these lodges will come together,
though, Of course, that is only conjecture.
zone can see that these mines have
been worked in most primitive method.
Even now they are not wholly abandoned
We found one aged Mexican with burro
who was getting out ore from q place
where he had tapped one of the lodges
He told us that his burro could carry $50
pounds Of ore. This he took some ten
miles down the stream, where another
Mexican had an arastra, and there the
ore was worked. Each cargo, as he called
the burro's load, Melted him about $50,
but having got that much there was no
more mining until the money was ex-
hausted. These mines / have no doubt
are valuable, but it will take heavy capt.
tai to operate them-especially those in
the Tayoja group. They are silver mines
much more costly to work. The Guy
anoca mines are gold, and if they are as
represented did not see them-they are
undoubtedly O bonanza. -=7e2 .-
What other evidences do you find that
these mines were worked by the ancients?'
20, none, but the ruined adobe houses,
the wrecked arastras and the tunnels that
had ages ago caved. There were three or
four ancient dumps through which trees
were growing, and l saw one broken
arastra that had an oak tree nine
or ten inches in diameter running right
up through the bottom. 1t is years and
years since that arastra was worked
But" continued the captain, 81 was more
struck with the agricultural and cattle
raising possibilities of Sonora than any
thing else. / rode over thousands and
thousands of acres of as fine grazing and
agricultural lands as the sun ever shone
upon. Men without capital could amass
fortunes here in no time raising cattle for
the American market. Sonora is vertically
cattleman's paradise There is lovely
climate, abundant water, native grasses
by the league, plenty of shade from thou
sands of oaks in the huge pastures; no
snow, no cold, no billiards and conse-
quently no loss of stock. Mexican herders
and no more faithful set Of workers can
be found anywhere-can be hired for fifty
cents day and board themselves. Native
cattle are dirt cheap. Cross them with
American bulls and the result is some
fine stock. Chicago Tribune.